Harrogate, TN - After taking 2-of-3 games against the Lander Bearcats on the road last week, the Lincoln Memorial baseball team was back on the road, this time to open South Atlantic Conference play against the Mars Hills Lions. The Railsplitters dominated the series throughout, sweeping all three games by a combined score of 34-14.
In game one on Friday, The Railsplitters made easy work of the lions, taking a 16-5 victory. To start the game, it would appear the home field would be well defended as Mars Hill took a 3-0 lead after the first inning. However, Lincoln Memorial had other plans, taking a 4-3 lead after driving home four runners in the top of the second inning. Mars Hill responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to regain a 5-4 lead heading into the third. This is when Lincoln Memorial's bats came alive, driving in
10 runs in the top of the third inning, taking a substantial 14-5 lead. The Railsplitters added one run in the fourth inning, and another in the fifth, while limiting the Lions to nothing, securing a sizable victory in game one, 16-5.
In game two on Saturday, the Railsplitters never allowed the Lions to build momentum, scoring the game's first runs in the second inning, driving in three base runners, to take a 3-0 lead early in the game. Some high quality pitching and fielding allowed Lincoln Memorial to hold Mars Hill to a goose egg through three innings as the Railsplitters tallied six runs, maintaining a 6-0 lead. In the fourth inning, the Lions added their first run of the game, tallying two in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 6-2 in favor of the visiting Railsplitters. Between the fifth and eighth innings, there was only one run scored as Lincoln Memorial added one run in the sixth to extend its lead to 7-2. In the final frame, each team added a pair of runs, locking the game into its final score of 9-4, securing the series victory for the Railsplitters with back-to-back wins.
With two wins already under its belt, Lincoln Memorial set its sights on a clean sweep of its first conference opponent as the Railsplitters took the field for game three. Much like game two, Lincoln Memorial came out with the pedal to the metal, driving in three runs to open the game, taking a 3-0 lead. The Railsplitters continued their offensive barrage, adding a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to further extend their lead to 5-0 through three innings played. Each team added a run in the fourth to bring the score to 6-1. Lincoln Memorial added three more runs in the top of the fifth to take a decisive 9-1 lead. Mars Hill attempted to claw its way back into the game, adding four runs in the bottom of the sixth, but great pitching and fielding limited the Lions to a goose egg for the remainder of the game, seeing Lincoln Memorial complete the sweep, securing a 9-5 victory.
The the trio of wins, Lincoln Memorial improved to 8-2 on the season and now sit atop the SAC with a 3-0 record.
